Chapter Five : Cause and Effect 20 The Founding Master said,
“Ignorant people value reputation alone, so they try hard to get recognition even if that reputation is unwarranted. This is because they do not realize that unwarranted reputation will ultimately become the source of misfortune that harms oneself. It is a principle of the world that reputation that is warranted in fact will be revealed naturally even if one tries to conceal it, whereas an unwarranted reputation will eventually vanish no matter how hard one tries to make it hold up. Therefore, a reputation obtained through words but without any actual basis will ultimately be damaged by words, and a reputation obtained through trickery will be damaged by trickery. Furthermore, even one’s well-deserved reputation from the past will be stained as well; and in extreme cases one could even be deprived of one’s life and assets. Shouldn’t we take precautions regarding this?” http://www.wonbuddhism.org/
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